30 Kisses: Sasame and Mawata
by SoulSeeker
Summary: She always loved him and watched him from afar... thirty stories dedicated to Sasame and Mawata, for the 30kisses LJ community. —Winter Day: Even when she's lost him, he makes her smile.—
1. Seven Minutes After Noon

**Title: **Seven Minutes After Noon  
**Author:** Amm-chan (SoulSeeker)  
**Pairing:** Awayuki Mawata/Sasame  
**Fandom:** Prétear  
**Theme:** #14—radio-cassette player  
**Rating:** For Everyone (PG)  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Prétear, I am just playing 'Barbie' with them, cause god knows they're a lot more fun than real Barbies.

_Whee, first one! Finally… hehe I'm a big fan of this couple, even though in the anime, Takako got him in the end. I hope you all enjoy the story!_

((Mostly inspired by Candyland's Hayate/Himeno works :D Check those out too, if you haven't already!))

* * *

_Wouldn't it be great to live alone? You wouldn't hurt anyone; nor would you get hurt._

That was the principle Mawata Awayuki once held, way back—back when Himeno had came into her life; back when she met _him_.

Sasame: friend of Himeno, elegant radio personality…and ultimately, the Leafe Knight of Sound. She loved everything about him, but most of all, she loved his ability to understand her the way no one else had. She had given him more trust than she had her own_ family_—and he dropped it carelessly like it was nothing, leaving it to shatter on the ground.

One kiss was all it took.

But those days were over now. Yes, she still listened to _Words Gate_ the same way she did back then, and yes, she admitted that part of her still longed for him. Regardless, however, she had moved on.

"Mawata! Time to get up dear, you don't want to be late for school, now do you?"

Natsue's voice flew threw the air and rang loudly in her ears, and Mawata got up immediately, having already been awake, almost waiting for the command.

She had just finished getting into her school uniform, when she heard her door abruptly open. She casually glanced over, seeing the short pink hair, and immediately recognized who it was. A giggle escaped Himeno's mouth, as she saw Mawata already dressed, and she excitedly ran over to her and grabbed her arm.

"Come on, Mawata, mom made your favorite breakfast today, you don't want to miss it!" she exclaimed excitedly. Himeno pulled her sister out of the room, as the comb that was in Mawata's hand dropped to the floor with a light "thump" sound.

"Wait, Himeno—"

Mawata tried to pick the comb back up once more to finish combing her hair, but she sighed, realizing that Himeno didn't even notice. She simply followed her lead until they reached the dining room where breakfast was being served, and she found that Kaoru — who she now regarded as her father — and her mother and Mayune were already there and waiting. Seeing them together, she suddenly realized what was happening.

"Hey Mawata!" Mayune greeted. Mawata waved to her sister with a light smile, as she took her seat. She looked at her breakfast, and then to everyone's face at the table, which she soon realized were all focused on her.

"Well? How do you like your birthday breakfast?" her mother sang happily. "You'd better eat fast, you've only got a little over five minutes!"

She nodded, taking a bite of the food, and strangely, she didn't feel a year older at all.

Kaoru got up and stretched, having already finished his breakfast—in fact, he woke up early to help Natsue make it. "Well, I've got some novel ideas to write down, before I forget them," he announced. "We have dinner reservations tonight to celebrate your birthday, Mawata…if you're interested, that is."

Mawata simply nodded and gave a smile. "Erm, that sounds great," she replied. She couldn't help but get the feeling that Kaoru tried too hard sometimes as a father, but she decided she didn't mind.

"Good," he said. "I'll see you later then—have a great day at school!" He gave her a light kiss on the head and disappeared out of the room.

She quickly finished her breakfast and grabbed her school things, and she rushed out to the car with Mayune and Himeno where Tanaka had been patiently waiting to drive them to school. It was a rather quiet car ride, and right before they all had to split to go to their classes, Mawata felt a light tug on her sleeve.

"Here—open it before lunch, okay?"

Himeno handed her a decently sized package, wrapped with a tiny red bow on top, and it looked like quite a bit of time had been put into the appearance. Mawata shook her head. "Oh come on, now—I don't even turn seventeen until—"

"Go on, go on, just open it, okay? See you at lunch!" Himeno lightly shoved her in the direction of her first class before running off to her own.

She shrugged, wandering off slowly to her class, and as expected, her locker was filled with _several_ presents from her admirers at the school. Chocolates, teddy bears, hand-made cards to go with them—it was the same thing every year. She sighed, making it a point not to even look at them until after school, and with Himeno's present in hand, she finally made it to her morning class.

Her curiosity tugged at her every time she saw the present's wrapping, and half way through class she finally gave in and decided to open it. Inside—after she managed to burrow through all the tissue paper—she found something that she had always wanted, ever since her old one had broken a couple months back. She smiled—evidently, Himeno _did_ pay attention sometimes.

"A radio-cassette player," a voice rang out from behind her. She looked back to see her teacher coming up the aisle. "Very nice, Mawata, but I'm afraid you're going to have to put that away and continue your work now. Please remember, you _are_ in class."

She nodded, turning a faint shade of red as she looked around at all the eyes staring at her, and she sighed, continuing her assignment. She couldn't help but wonder why Himeno thought it so important that she open it before lunch; and secretly she also wondered if Sasame would remember her special day. But she shook it off, as she looked back and forth between her assignment and the clock, waiting for the bell to release them.

Minutes seemed like hours before lunchtime finally came, and Mawata looked through the crowds for the vibrant pink hair belonging to Himeno.

She came seemingly out of no where, dashing through the crowds, and finally appeared in front of Mawata.

"Hey—you opened it, right?" she asked, panting.

Mawata smiled in return. "Yeah, thanks! I lo—"

"Here, let me see it—quick!" the pink-haired girl demanded, and before she could even react, she had taken it from her hand.

"Hey! What are you—"

"Shh!"

Himeno silenced her with her finger, as she frantically pushed the buttons on the portable radio-cassette player, keeping an eye out for teachers at the same time. She looked at her watch once, and finally, she smiled.

"12:07pm, right? That's when you were born."

Mawata raised an eyebrow at her, slowly nodding. "How did you—"

"Listen," Himeno commanded. She put the headphones on her, and watched her face for reaction. Mawata's eyes widened, and she immediately recognized the voice on the radio—she would never forget that voice that soothed her so easily.

"_It's 12:07pm here, and you're listening to 'Words Gate' with me, your host Sasame. But before I get started reading some of the letters I've gotten here, while it's still seven minutes after noon, I'd like to give a Happy Birthday to a Miss Silk, a loyal listener of mine, who I always took pleasure in comforting, and whether she knew it or not, she comforted me too. Happy Birthday, Mawata Awayuki, and wherever you are, I hope you're having a great day..._"

Mawata looked baffled—she couldn't remember one instance at all that she had even _mentioned_ her time of birth to him, and yet he knew; the same way he had known the anguish she felt so long ago. She looked over to Himeno, feeling hot and probably turning red, and she just smiled in response.

"Happy Birthday, Mawata."


	2. A Moment in the Woods

**Title: **A Moment in the Woods  
**Author:** Amm-chan (SoulSeeker)  
**Pairing:** Awayuki Mawata/Sasame  
**Fandom:** Prétear  
**Theme:** #1—look over here  
**Rating:** Teens (PG-13…ish)  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Prétear, I am just playing 'Barbie' with them, cause god knows they're a lot more fun than real Barbies.

_I am never writing angst again. Ever._

_And kudos to you if you know what the title alludes to... HA! I said Kudo! I'm not obsessed with Shinichi, nooo…_

* * *

"Mawata!"

"Mawata!"

"_Mawata!_"

Her name echoed a million times within the four walls of her room, but they would never reach her ears. Nothing would; the banging on the door, the negative energy that fluttered around her, the worry of her loved ones—she was completely oblivious. It was only fair; her family had been pretty damn oblivious as well. To her feelings, to her depression—to everything.

The only thing she could hear was her radio; and who else's voice could pierce through the darkness to reach her ears?

Sasame, of course.

She crawled through the mess that was now her floor, panting heavily, finally reaching the radio. He was addressing 'Miss Silk' again.

Miss Silk; her alias she used when she decided she was too weak to let him know who she truly was. Now she regretted it; but it didn't matter. He knew, and she knew he did.

Upon trying to concentrate, she finally realized the million things that were going on around her, as if trying to distract her; and if they were, it was working. Well.

It was the whining of her name first…then the obnoxious knocking sounds.

She was slowly snapping back to reality, as the negative energy around her began to slowly subside. Her mind became fixated on the voices; they weren't ones she recognized or heard regularly, and whoever they were, they had to be young. Very young.

She slowly approached the door, her shaking hand reaching out to grab it, and suddenly, the door burst open with a loud bang, sending Mawata's heart rate up even higher than it already was.

She panted heavily, nearly losing her balance, and her eyes widened as she put her hands over her chest to keep her heart from ripping right out of her. Her piercing green eyes stared at the three figures who dared to invade her privacy.

And suddenly, reality hit her again, and she remembered everything.

"Mawata? Why didn't you open the door?"

She continued to stare at them as if they were strangers, her gaze unwavering; Shin, Hajime, and Mannen stared back with innocent confused looks on their faces. Himeno had asked Mayune to care for them while she was gone, and her parents had left not long after.

But evidently, Mayune had neglected her responsibilities.

Mawata slowly stood up right again, her heart rate and breathing slowly becoming normal. "W—what do you want?" she asked coarsely. "Where's Mayune?"

Something about seeing the innocence on their faces had maintained her sanity.

Mannen made a face. "She's too busy," he replied discontently. "We wanna play hide-and-seek!"

"Yeah, come on, play with us!" Shin squealed cheerfully.

"Why?" she replied. "Why would you want to play with me?"

Hajime grabbed her arm excitedly. "Himeno said to make sure you weren't lonely! Come on, we can play something else too, if you like!"

Mawata blinked. "L-lonely?" she replied. "Himeno said that?"

The three of them nodded in unison.

"Come on! Let's go play!" Shin smiled. "I bet you can't find me!"

Mannen just scoffed, sticking out his tongue. "Yeah, just don't look near any of the trees—or anything gre—"

Hajime smacked his mouth closed as he noticed Shin's eyes start to become watery. "Shut up, Mannen!" he demanded. She turned to Mawata and smiled. "You count, and we'll hide. Then you can come looking for us. Okay? Let's go!"

Before Mawata could even react, all three of them had run off in all different directions. She fell to the ground, unsure of what to do….she began to feel the negative energy pulsating, taking her over once more, but she stood up suddenly.

_Himeno said to make sure you weren't lonely!_

Impossible. Someone like Himeno could never understand her; she'd never understand how she felt. She had a father, she had love—she had Hayate.

Mawata suddenly ran, bursting out of her room, dashing down the stairs passed all the hiding places where the little ones may have hid. They were practically screaming for her attention, almost commanding her to look over there. And she may have looked, had she been in the right state of mind; but for now, she had forgotten all about them.

She needed to get out.

She ran until she got outdoors, and then ran more. She could've very well been blind—she had no idea where she was going, and she didn't much care. She needed to find someone—someone who would understand her. Someone who could salvage her sanity and keep her new family members from ruining her life.

She finally slowed down to a walk and somehow found herself amidst trees. Tall trees whose shadows consumed her and concealed her from the world; just the way she wanted.

But still, she wasn't at ease. She walked on, being cautious with every step, looking around her. Any stranger would have called her paranoid.

"Freedom and understanding…someone to help you… aren't those what you want?"

A gasp escaped her dry lips, as she turned around trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. "W-who are you?"

A silhouette appeared in front of her, and it was getting closer. It wouldn't take her long to recognize him. "You mean in all this time of listening to me, you can't even recognize my voice, Miss Silk?"

Sasame put his hands on her shoulders, sending shivers down her spine. He was the only one who ever had that effect on her.

"S...Sasame…" she said, her voice shaking in anxiety. "Sasame!"

He wrapped his arms around her protectively, stroking her hair as he felt tears soak into his clothes—his dark clothes that he begun to wear after he quit the Leafe Knights, for his love. But Mawata didn't need to know that.

"I need you Sasame…you're the only one…" She hugged him, looking up at his eyes. "You're the only one who sees me for who I really am…You know what I need. I can't take it anymore…I can't—"

She felt a set of warm lips come over her own, and she fell silent immediately. She felt her problems melt away, and she never wanted the moment to end. The warmth of his love; he was everything she needed and more.

He broke away from the kiss suddenly, looking up into one of the trees nearby. She followed suit to find out what had caught his attention so abruptly. "What is it? What happened?"

Her questions went ignored, and Sasame suddenly rose up and headed right in the direction he had been staring. There was no question about it—he had seen someone.

Long wavy chocolate-brown hair, beautiful eyes and a smirk set upon the reddest lips anyone had ever seen; the Princess of Disaster herself had graced Sasame with her appearance, and Mawata had still been left to wonder who in the world she was.

"Sasame, w-what are you doing? Who is she?"

Her voice began to quiver, her eyes watery, and she began to felt the same loneliness and doubt she had not ten minutes before.

"I_ can_ save you Mawata…but it'll take more than just a moment in the woods…"

"No…no! I thought you understood…but you're just like the others!"

Mawata collapsed to the ground, and she thought she saw their lips meet; but she wasn't sure what was real anymore. She was running again, but it was too late.

Suddenly, she felt everything inside her shatter.

Before she knew it, she was the very core of something that threatened to destroy the entire Earth.

And all she heard was silence.


	3. Dinner with a Superstar

**Title: **Dinner with a Superstar  
**Author:** Amm-chan (SoulSeeker)  
**Pairing:** Awayuki Mawata/Sasame  
**Fandom:** Prétear  
**Theme:** #7—superstar  
**Rating:** For Everyone (PG)  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Prétear, I am just playing 'Barbie' with them, cause god knows they're a lot more fun than real Barbies.

_Yay for Haha-You're-Single day n.n_

* * *

As soon as the school bell rung to single the day's end, Mawata followed her daily routine of slipping on her headphones and walking out of the class, listening to her music as she walked home. Himeno usually joined up with her, and they greeted each other, but little else really happened.

She was normally listening to the radio, but sometimes she would slip in a CD, or switch to using her cassette player.

Either way, she was out of communication with the world around her, except for occasionally taking off her headphones to listen for cars when crossing the street.

She felt a tap on her shoulder, and immediately knowing who it was, she nonchalantly took off her headphones. "Hi, Himeno."

The pink-haired girl grinned. "Hey!" she said enthusiastically. "You'll never guess what I just found out."

She blinked, turning off her CD player. "What?"

Himeno giggled. "Well…" she began. "I was listening to the radio, and apparently 'Words Gate' is holding a radio contest!"

"Radio contest?" Mawata repeated.

"Yeah! You know, one of those things where you write in a letter about how much you love the show, and the best one gets a prize? It's perfect for you!" she replied.

She just laughed a little, shaking her head. "Himeno, I love Words Gate, but you know I can't enter…" she told her.

"Aw, come on, why not?" Himeno whined. "The prize is a dinner with Sasame! Don't you want that?"

Mawata sighed. "Himeno, I can't," she repeated. "Besides, he has Takako. Why is he holding this contest anyway?"

Himeno smiled. "Valentine's Day," she said. "That's when the dinner will be. Doesn't that sound great? Come on, you know you want to!

"Oh, right—Haha-You're-Single Day." Mawata rolled her eyes. "No."

"Come on!"

"I'm putting my headphones back on now…"

Mawata took her headphones and put them back on her ears.

"But—"

"_No_."

Himeno sighed, folding her arms. "Fine," she said firmly. She looked away from her, feeling rather defeated, but anyone who knew her knew that she wasn't one to give up so easily. She suddenly disappeared from Mawata's sight; it scared her slightly at first, though she rationalized and figured she was just going to spend time with her other friends.

Suddenly the commercial for the contest played constantly, though she hadn't even heard it once before Himeno told her about it. Mawata sighed, almost becoming annoyed with it. Apparently the winner was to be announced the day before Valentine's Day, and the deadline of entering was just a couple days away. Himeno was insane.

She was rather suspicious—Himeno hadn't bugged her about the contest at all since their meeting after school, and for some reason that caused some uneasiness in her.

Mawata wouldn't put it past her to do something unorthodox, like enter the contest in her name; in fact, upon seeing the smug look on her face on the day of the deadline, she was almost sure of it. So she wasn't surprised when she heard her name announced as the winner on February 13th.

Strangely enough, though she expected herself to get angry, she didn't at all. In fact, part of her wanted to win. Part of her wanted to say yes when Himeno had invited her to enter.

She just shook her head with a sigh. How had she managed to win out of all the girls who entered? Was Sasame the one who picked the winner?

She didn't know.

Either way, whether it was luck or not, she now had a dinner on her hands for the next night.

Himeno suddenly burst into her room with an excited look on her face. "Mawata, Mawata!" she exclaimed. "You won! Did you decide to enter after all?"

Mawata smirked. "Don't play dumb—I know you entered for me," she told her confidently.

"I did not!"

Himeno shifted uneasily and Mawata folded her arms, narrowing her eyes at her.

"…okay fine, I did. But can you be mad at me? I mean, you won!"

She sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

"Do you know what you're going to wear?" Himeno asked.

Mawata raised an eyebrow. "What, you mean it's a formal dinner?"

Himeno's eyes widened. "You didn't know that? It's Valentine's Day—of course it's going to be a formal dinner! Come on, I'll help you find a dress…"

She smiled, walking over to her closet, and Mawata just shrugged.

"Knock yourself out," she said. She simply waved a hand and laid on her bed, closing her eyes as she listened to the radio.

"Hey! Don't you want to help pick too?" Himeno asked.

"No," Mawata replied. "Just pick something. I don't care. I wasn't even supposed to be going on this dinner anyway. Hey, you know, maybe _you_ should go."

"No way!" Himeno shot back. "You already won. And here, what do you think of this? It'll go well with your eyes, and your hair."

She pulled out a long, dark turquoise dress that looked a little small, but regardless, she should've still been able to fit in it.

Mawata shrugged. "Yeah that looks fine. And since when did you become a match-maker anyway? What's wrong with you? I mean, Takako—"

"Don't worry about Takako," she interrupted. "She obviously knows about the contest, and if she let him go through with it, she obviously doesn't care. It's just a dinner. They have the whole rest of the day to spend together if they want."

She sighed. "I guess…"

In no way did she feel confident about going, but at that point she figured she really didn't have a choice. As if something had possessed her, she had confirmed the dinner by calling into the radio station and could only watched as Himeno pranced around happily, preparing for her own plans for the special day.

"Happy? You win," she told her as she hung up the phone.

She just snickered. "Don't worry. You'll thank me after tomorrow," she stated confidently.

"I'm sure…" she replied sarcastically.

Himeno's comment almost made her think that she had something up her sleeve again, but she brushed the feeling off quickly as she approached the restaurant the next day where she was to meet Sasame. She folded her arms over her stomach, in hopes of quelling the butterflies in her stomach, and she took a quick glance at her watch.

"Six on the dot," she told herself. "Like they said…"

Five minutes passed by, then ten, then twenty, and she almost fell victim to her impatience and went in without him. She stuck around for an extra five minutes however, and he had finally shown up.

"Fashionably late, I see," Mawata remarked bitterly.

Sasame chuckled. "Yeah, sorry about that," he said. "I got wrapped up with something." He looked in through the windows of the restaurant. "Shall we go inside?"

"If we must," she replied strikingly.

He narrowed his eyes, slightly surprised by her coldness. "Is this the same Miss Silk who was in love with me so long ago?" he asked.

"That ended when Takako finally became herself again, Sasame," she told him. "You know this."

Sasame sighed, picking out a couple of seats in the restaurant for them. "Well, you could at least pretend like you want to be here, you know," he replied.

"I do," she said. "Love you or not, you're still my favorite radio host. This is just how I am—or do you not remember that?"

He remained quiet, unable to reply. They only talked again when the waitress came and took their order, and even then it wasn't to each other. Somehow, Mawata doubted this was how Himeno intended this dinner to go.

"People are staring," Sasame informed her. The two of them ate, trying not to draw too much attention to themselves.

"That's what happens when you're a superstar," she replied, seeming unfazed.

Sasame laughed. "Oh please—I'm no superstar," he replied modestly.

She rolled her eyes. "You've got fan girls, you've got fan clubs, and everyone knows about Words Gate," she told him. "You're a superstar."

He shook his head and suddenly Mawata heard music—it took her a moment to recognize it as a ring-tone. Sasame's ears perked up and he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, signaling Mawata to wait for the moment while he took the call.

She waited what seemed like forever, and then he finally came back only to disappoint her.

"I'm sorry, but I've got to go…" he said. "An emergency came up…can I take a rain check on this dinner?"

Mawata shook her head disbelievingly and stood up. "I'm leaving too then," she said. She ignored his question and began to walk out, not even caring what 'emergency' had come up.

"Wait!"

She felt a tug on her arm and sighed, turning around. "What?" she asked in annoyed manner.

He quickly planted a kiss on her lips and gave her a smile; he actually did look rather sorry.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he told her.

Mawata just shook her head again and walked off, putting a finger to her mouth; she could feel her whole body shaking as she sighed.

"Hmpth…Celebrities…"


	4. The Sound of Silence

**Title: **The Sound of Silence  
**Author:** Amm-chan (SoulSeeker)  
**Pairing:** Awayuki Mawata/Sasame  
**Fandom:** Prétear  
**Theme:** #24—good night  
**Rating: **For Everyone (PG)  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Prétear. I am just playing 'Barbie' with them, cause god knows they're a lot more fun than real Barbies.

_My muse died soo much for this couple T.T But, I still have a little more up my sleeve…_

* * *

Even from the very beginning, Mawata knew that the trip would be anything but fun. Waking up late, running out of hot water in the shower, overcooked breakfast, and to put the cherry on top, she left her CD player sitting atop her dresser in her room, not to be seen again for three days.

By the time she realized it, it was too late. They were already about three-fourths of the way to the beach, and while her parents loved her very much, they were not willing to drive the extra miles to get something as simple and unnecessary as that. She knew that, and understood it perfectly, so she said nothing; but she still remained bitter about it.

"Mawata? Something wrong?"

She felt a nudge and turned to her right where she had felt it. Of_ course_—Himeno _would_ be the one to notice. She noticed anyone when they were upset or sad; Mawata was willing to bet anything that it had something to do with her natural people-pleaser instincts.

"No," she replied; a little coldly, but it was to be expected.

"Liar," Himeno pouted.

She didn't say anything in reply.

"If something's wrong, you should tell us, you know," added Kaoru from the driver's seat. "We're going on vacation! Everyone should be having fun!"

"Yeah, Mawata, you can tell us!" She got another nudge from her other pink-haired sister, Mayune.

Mawata sighed. "It's nothing. Really," she reassured them. "I just left my CD player at home, that's all. I'll live…I think."

"Aw, that sucks! You always sleep with that thing on," Himeno remarked. "I'd let you borrow mine, but I didn't bring mine either…Sorry."

Mawata shrugged. The two had different tastes in music anyway; and for now, she'd just have to endure sleeping without music. Thankfully in the car, she at least had the radio to listen to. She leaned back against the seat and gazed out of her window, watching as she noticed the sun's slow descent.

Before she knew it, she had dozed off and woken up again, and she noticed that a half an hour had gone by. Her mother had apparently been asleep too, and she could hear her stir in the front seat.

"We're almost there, dear," she heard Kaoru—her father—say.

"That's nice, dear…" Natsue yawned, looking as though she wasn't awake at all. Mawata looked around her, and it had seemed Himeno and Mayune had dozed off as well.

She stayed awake for the rest of the ride, mainly because she was worried Kaoru would doze off; little sparks of conversation burst between them until finally, they had pulled up to the hotel where they would be staying. They had naturally reserved a room with a straight-forward view of the ocean, and she had to admit—it was _gorgeous_.

"How does a morning walk for tomorrow sound?" Kaoru suggested. "We all look too tired to do anything more tonight…"

Mawata wasn't tired. In fact, the thirty minutes of rest she got in the car seemed to be just what she needed. "I like the idea of a midnight stroll better," she argued.

"Yeah, right," Mayune teased. "You just don't want to sleep without your music! What's that show you always listen to again? _Words Gate_,was it?"

She laughed, even through Mawata's glare. "What I listen to is _none_ of your business," she shot back in a low growl. Sighing, she walked over to one of the bedrooms. "Forget it. I'm going to bed. Do whatever the hell you guys want."

With a plop, Mawata allowed herself to fall onto the only bed in the room, leaving the lights off and the room dark, the only exception being the moonlight pouring in through the window. She spent a few minutes barely listening to the mumble of conversation going on outside, hearing little bits of 'you should apologize' and 'just leave her alone for now.' Good—at least someone understood.

She got back up again to see if the lights were enough to see the ocean at that hour, but unfortunately, they weren't. After a few moments of being distracted by the shiny stars, she finally decided she wanted to go down and get a better look. But how would she get past her family?

She crept out of her room and was relieved to find that everyone had gone to sleep—or at least, they were out of the living room. This made sneaking out relatively easy. It was no big deal. After all, she did intend on coming back.

Walking past all of the hotel's staff and the front desk, she heard the roar of the ocean and felt the sensation of cool sand running through her feet. She walked on, the ground below her getting more damp and finally, she could feel the salt water rushing through. It felt good; quite soothing.

"You know, your family will worry if you're out here by yourself."

Mawata jumped and spun around, hearing the water below splash. "Who's there?" She could swear it was the voice of someone she recognized; but she couldn't see him.

"Now, now Miss Mawata…as my number one fan, I would think you would be able to recognize my voice?"

Her eyes widened, and her breaths got shorter.

"S-sasame! What are you doing here?"

She felt his arms wrap around her and she almost pushed him away; but luckily, she realized that she_ liked_ the feeling first…

"Not much really…I just heard you were having a little trouble sleeping that's all. And I was worried."

Mawata raised an eyebrow, turning around and looking up; she knew she was looking right at him, although it was too dark to see. "How did you kn…? Oh…right…" He was the Leafe Knight of Sound—stupid question.

Sasame chuckled lightly, and they both stood unmoving in silence. He kept his arms as they were, and she didn't seem to mind.

"That's a little creepy that you can do that, you know…Almost stalker-ish…" Mawata noted uneasily.

"Do you mind it?" the Leafe Knight responded; his tone of voice indicated that he already knew the answer.

"No…"

More silence followed, and suddenly, Mawata began to shift uneasily. She began to look around, as if she were trying to find something. Sasame followed her to the best of his ability in the darkness. "What is it?" he asked.

She blinked a couple times. "Music…" she replied. "It's…coming from…somewhere…"

In fact, it sounded like the music was coming from everywhere. There was no way to tell its origin, or who was playing it.

"I don't hear any music," Sasame stated plainly. He looked around as well.

"That's impossible," Mawata barked. "How can I be hearing something you can't? It's my favorite song too…"

He shrugged; and not too long afterwards, he heard a yawn come from her. Mawata could feel her eyes become heavier, and she was beginning to wonder even more. She was completely wide awake not five seconds ago…

"What the hell…"

Sasame smiled, approaching her and as if she was hypnotized, she fell into his arms, dead asleep—just like he planned. He promptly returned her to the hotel room, laying her comfortably on her bed, and he touched his lips gently on her forehead.

"Good night, Miss Silk."

And the song still echoed on as he left the room, leaving her to get the sleep she had undoubtedly needed.

_People talking without speaking…  
People hearing without listening…  
People writing songs that voices never share  
And no one dare disturb the sound…_

…_of silence…_

* * *

_**A/N:** The song _The Sound of Silence_ used at the end belongs to **Simon** **and Garfunkel**, and not me n.n_


	5. An Embarrassing Moment

**Title: **An Embarrassing Moment  
**Author:** Amm-chan (SoulSeeker)  
**Pairing:** Awayuki Mawata/Sasame  
**Fandom:** Prétear  
**Theme:** #19—red  
**Rating: **For Everyone (PG)  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Prétear. I am just playing 'Barbie' with them, cause god knows they're a lot more fun than real Barbies.  
**Summary: **Sasame…what do those red lights mean?

_Kiss #5…I'm gettin' there :P_

* * *

The first day of spring.

It was a beautiful day indeed, and most people enjoyed it; save for of course those who had allergies to contend with, but Mawata wasn't one them. She really didn't care either way, though; unless something memorable actually happened, a day was just another day no matter how she looked at it.

"Hey Mawata? Did you hear me?"

Mawata blinked and turned to Himeno, not even realizing she was being talked to. She seemed to have a lot on her mind—a lot of the time. "Oh, no…I didn't…what did you say?"

Himeno chuckled at the response. "S'okay," she replied. "I was just asking how your day was."

They finally walked through the gates of the Awayuki mansion and continued on, approaching the house together like they usually did after school.

"Oh." Mawata thought of her day, mentally fast-forwarding through it in her head to see if there was anything worth mentioning, and then she simply shrugged. "It was okay."

Himeno decided not to prod further and she let the subject drop; after all, if there was anything she wanted to tell her, she surely would've done it already. She had a habit of being nosy, and knowing that this annoyed Mawata, she was trying to stop. They finally reached the house, and Natsue was there to greet them at the door. She seemed happy that day.

"Hello there, girls. I trust you had a good day at school today?" She stepped out of the door way to allow for the two to enter, and watched as they set down their things and take of their shoes. Himeno had disappeared into the kitchen then, most likely to get herself a snack. "Oh and Mawata, dear, you got a call from someone earlier…"

And with that, Natsue had a firm grip on Mawata's attention. "Who, mom?"

The woman looked thoughtful as she put her hand to her chin. "I think it was…Sasame?" she uttered unsurely. "Yeah…yeah that was him! He said he needed your help with something…Wouldn't tell me what it was, though. Do you know this guy, hun?"

Mawata raised an eyebrow slightly. "Know him? Yes. Know why he would call me—or what he would need my help with? Definitely not." She shrugged. "What else did he say?"

Her mother bobbed her head back and forth, again in thought. "I think he said something about wanting you to meet him. At the park near the radio station in town," she said.

Mawata nodded. "I know where that is."

"Are you sure you should go? I mean, I don't even know this guy, Mawata…" her mother replied in a concerned tone.

"Know who?"

Himeno had waltzed back into the room with two cookies in her hand, and both had turned their attention to her. "Sasame," Mawata answered.

She giggled. "Oh, you know Sasame, mom. The famous radio personality Mawata's in_ love_ with?" Himeno teased her with a smirk, and she seemed to ignore the death glares she was getting from her sister in the process. Her mother chuckled.

"Well, if you can get there, and you know this guy then I'll trust you, dear," Natsue told Mawata. She gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before making her way into the kitchen. "Just be home soon, and take your cell phone with you."

Mawata nodded; she felt like a child again, but at least her mother was letting her go. "What time did he say to meet him there?" She followed her mother into a kitchen so she could hear her—that, and realized how scrumptious the cookies had looked when Himeno had them.

"Oh…in about…negative five minutes?" Natsue grinned, looking at the clock. Mawata had just bit into a newly acquired cookie, and she nearly spat it all back out when she heard her mother's words.

"_What?_" She fought to keep the food in her mouth and swallowed hard, as she peered over to the clock. "Gee, _thanks_ for telling me mom!"

Within moments, she bolted out the door, her mother's giggling ringing in her head.

* * *

She recognized the snow-white hair from a mile away and in the end, she had been about fifteen minutes late. Not that Sasame seemed to mind at all. He had been patiently waiting and turned his attention to Mawata when he heard her approach, panting.

"Sorry," was the first word to come out of her mouth, and it was received with a warm smile.

"Don't worry about it," Sasame replied. He stood up and brushed himself off casually. "I'm a patient person."

She began to follow him as he walked off, assuming that he was going back to the radio station. She remained quiet and naturally did not say a thing unless it was a response to someone else who had said something first. She couldn't help it though; she just had to know.

"So—you need my 'help' with something?" she asked finally.

His lips curled into a smirk. "I was wondering when you were going to ask," he replied. "Yes—as a matter of fact I do."

Mawata blinked. "Er…you plan on telling me what it is?" She raised an eyebrow; part of her was curious as to why he picked her of all people to ask—and another part could've cared less, being happy that she was even with him.

"I need you to help me with some fan mail," he stated bluntly, as he opened the door to the radio station. "…and maybe with some organizing."

There were papers on the floor that had fallen off of his desk; envelopes upon envelopes of what she assumed to be fan mail—unopened—were also scattered across the floor, and for the moment, Mawata wondered how the man had even kept his job with his workplace in that condition. She folded his arms and narrowed her eyes at him.

"You expect me to help you with this?" Mawata asked accusingly. "I'm not exactly your maid, you know."

"I know," Sasame replied. "But…it needs a woman's touch…"

"You could've asked Himeno."

"I didn't _want_ Himeno."

Mawata stared at him in wonder and raised an eyebrow at him; the man had an interesting choice of words, and she couldn't help but ponder what he meant.

"…to help me with this," the Knight of Sound added quickly. "I never really saw her as the kind of girl to be doing this kind of thing." Sasame began to pick up the letters from his fans that had been on his floor and put them in a big box he had on his chair. Mawata followed suit.

"And I suppose _I_ am?" she asked.

Sasame smiled at her. "You're doing fine to me," he remarked. She gave him a Look, one of sarcasm with a hint of amusement.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," she informed him coldly.

"I'm aware…"

Yet she continued to help him, in utter silence. All that could be heard was the shuffling of the envelopes and the paper. It didn't even bother Sasame that Mawata had, in a sense, inherited Himeno's nosiness and had been peeking at some of the letters that had been opened. She would never admit it, but somewhere inside, her eyes were looking for her own letters.

"You've changed a lot since the Princess of Disaster incident, haven't you…"

Mawata stared up at him, and saw that he was flipping through postcards—the very ones she had been looking for. Her eyes widened. "Are those—?" She stood up and began to read her very own words over his shoulder; he was right. Awayuki Mawata was nothing like this Miss Silk character she had claimed to be so long ago. "Yeah, I guess I have…"

Sasame put the postcards back in his drawer—probably about the only place in the room that wasn't messy. He stood in front of her now, and his gaze was almost beginning to make her uncomfortable. She stepped back a few paces, but soon found herself against—something—and had to stop.

"You know, Himeno once told me you loved me. I wonder—has that changed?"

She looked away from him and shut her eyes, and she could feel her breathing get heavier. "No…"

Her eyes widened. What evil, sadistic, twisted voice in her head had told her to say THAT?

Sasame put a hand on her chin and turned her face to meet his. "So then you still…after all this time, you still…"

"Yes…yes, yes! Please just st—" It was just then that she realized she hadn't been breathing. She gasped for air and then her eyes had gotten so wide they had begun to feel dry. "Sasame…what…" She lifted up her hand slowly, feeling it shake, and pointed to something behind him. "What do those red lights mean?"

"Huh?" Sasame had turned his head to look behind him, and indeed, there were the red lights, flashing, blinking at him, as if to say 'you're in HUGE trouble.' They were callers…and the lights were coming from the buttons that were used to accept the different calls on each line. He had heard of embarrassing moments, but this was a _little_ bit much. His heart began to race; how had it happened? And more importantly, when?

He reached his hand behind Mawata and she heard the click of a switch; but the red lights were still blinking. He was breathing heavily too now, and that certainly was not a good sign. The Leafe Knight of Sound took a deep breath.

"Mawata…" he muttered softly. "Do you know how long we've been on the air…?"

* * *

_**A/N:** It's been a while! n.n Hope you guys enjoyed this. I know I don't post often for this couple, but I don't know. Lately my muse has kind of been picking up again, so hopefully that will change._


	6. In a Different Light

**Title: **In a Different Light  
**Author:** Amm (SoulSeeker)  
**Pairing:** Awayuki Mawata/Sasame  
**Fandom:** Prétear  
**Theme:** #27—overflow  
**Rating: **For Everyone (PG)  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Prétear. I am just playing 'Barbie' with them, cause god knows they're a lot more fun than real Barbies.  
**Summary: **What in the world did you say to her?

_Siiiiixxx._

* * *

Himeno, Mayune and Mawata.

The three Awayuki sisters had been walking that night, their path illuminated by only the waxing moon and the streetlights, and though Mayune looked like she was going to kill something if she had to walk another step, their destination was already very close.

"Man, why did Tanaka's limo have to break down to_night_ of all nights? Ugh." Mayune kicked something in the dirt and grumbled, as Mawata rolled her eyes.

"You whining isn't gonna get us to the dance any faster," she snapped. "Besides, we're almost there. You act as if you've never walked to the school before."

Himeno sighed. "No more arguing," she pleaded. "I know it's not the best night in the world, but let's just try to make the best of it okay? We paid for the dresses, we paid for the dance tickets—so what if we have to walk a little?"

The two became silent, though she could still hear the grumbling, and just then, the school came into view. She could see the lights from it, shining against the night sky—consequently making the few stars that were out nearly invisible.

"_How_ did I get talked into this again?" Mawata muttered. "I hate dresses…"

No one answered her, which was fine, considering it was meant as a rhetorical question anyway, and things went peaceful for a while, until Himeno suddenly stopped. Her red eyes had become fixated on a restaurant; it was one they frequently went to, since it was so close to the school, and so they knew it well. The other girls stopped as well.

"What're you stopping for?" Mayune asked with an attitude.

Mawata's eyes suddenly widened, and she spoke before Himeno could even answer. "I see why…"

"Sasame! Hayate!" Himeno waved with a grin, blowing a kiss towards them, and Mawata instantly stepped back, for fear of being seen. She ended up stepping into Himeno's shadow, and as if she had felt Mawata's weight on it, Himeno turned around.

"What are you doing, Mawata?" she asked. "Don't hide, come onnn…don't you wanna show _Sasame_ how pretty you are?"

"No! I don't want him to see me…"

"See you what? Dolled up? Looking gorgeous? Come on! You too, Mayune, let's go greet them before we head over, okay?" Himeno latched onto Mawata's arm, and though she resisted, she was dragged anyway, until she stopped struggling. Part of Mawata really did want let Sasame see her like this; see her in a different light than he had before. Just to see what he thought.

The boys were sitting at a table outside of the restaurant and waved back. "She just wants to show off to Hayate," Mayune whispered to Mawata; she resisted a giggle as they approached the boys, who were both smiling.

"What's the occasion?" Hayate questioned, looking at Himeno's dress as they arrived.

"School dance," Himeno replied with a smile. "Come on, don't tell me you don't like it?"

He didn't answer; his eyes shifted back and forth between the three of them, and he took note that Mayune had looked particularly annoyed. "Well, perhaps you should get going then," he suggested, ignoring her question.

"Hmpth…"

"You all look stunning," Sasame beamed, looking at all of them…his eyes lingered on Mawata, which made her slightly insecure—and uncomfortably hot. "Miss Mawata, I've never seen you like this before."

Mawata simply turned away, red in the face. There was a silence between all of them, but suddenly, a waiter had arrived with the tea that Sasame had ordered. All eyes turned to him, which made him slightly uncomfortable as well, and even he turned a light shade of red when he looked at the three ladies in their gorgeous attire.

Several moments passed, and suddenly Hayate's eyes narrowed at him. "Hey…hey, you're spilling the tea! Pay attention!"

The waiter shook his head, bringing himself back into reality to realize that the tea had spilled over onto the table, the tea in the cup nearly overflowing completely. It was Sasame's tea. He took a sip to keep any more from leaking out, and shot the waiter a death glare that sent him running.

Hayate sighed. "I'll go get some napkins," he volunteered, and then quickly ran off, disappearing into the restaurant.

Mawata looked curiously at Sasame, who had almost seemed…angry at the waiter, although his mistake was a simple one; and as though Sasame could sense her curiosity, he signaled her closer. Mawata pointed to herself questioningly, wondering if he meant her or one of the other girls, and he nodded, which confused her.

What did he want? And why was he angry?

The gesture had piqued everyone else's interest too, but apparently it was meant to be private, as he continued to signal her closer and closer, almost to the point of annoyance—but not quite.

She had gotten so close that she could feel his breath, sending a tingling sensation all throughout her body; and he hadn't even said a word.

"I think he was staring at you," he whispered into her ear, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Mawata's eyes widened and she could feel the blood gushing to her face as she turned a bright, bright, fire-engine red. Sasame only smiled upon noticing, while everyone else simply looked puzzled. She was shaking…

"I…I think I'm going to go to the bathroom," she said hastily, embarrassed; and she disappeared.

Himeno's eyes widened as he turned to him disbelievingly. "What in the world did you say to her?" she asked demandingly.

Sasame only smirked, enjoying the curiosity surrounding a statement that was so…simple. Mawata was simply easy to make blush. "Nothing. It was something…private," he uttered ambiguously—and he let their imaginations assume the worst.

* * *

**_A/N:_**_ Hmm, Sasame being suggestive—hehe. And Mawata being blushy and shy. Random. (nods) Very much so, but I had to get it out there. I hope you guys liked it. I'll be off to __Thailand__ now, but I'll still be updating…so it might not be long before you see another story. :D _


	7. Subconscious

**Title: **Subconscious  
**Author:** Amm (SoulSeeker)  
**Pairing:** Awayuki Mawata/Sasame  
**Fandom:** Prétear  
**Theme:** #10—10 (ten)  
**Rating: **For Everyone (PG)  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Prétear. I am just playing 'Barbie' with them, cause god knows they're a lot more fun than real Barbies.  
**Summary: **It was a new kind of word game…

_I'm still doing this couple, I swear n.n;;_

* * *

At times, walking home from school was quite the annoyance to Mawata. She had become slightly spoiled, you could say, and had grown accustomed to the frequent limo rides, courtesy of Tanaka—however that day, her mother required his services. Himeno wasn't even there to walk home with her; she was sick that day and stayed home, and Mayune had opted to stay after for a club.

It was all right though, she supposed. After all, she used to love being alone—she asked for it. Now, however, she knew that it was wise to be careful what you wish for.

Mawata sighed, passing by their favorite ice cream store, and for a moment, she considered getting a little something for Himeno, as a get-well token. In the end though, she decided her throat didn't exactly need it. It would've only made things worse. So, she kept on her path, refusing to stray from it until she found herself at home, walking in the door.

"I'm home," she announced, as usual; to which Himeno responded with a wave. Mawata crossed paths with her on her way to the kitchen, and decided to follow her after tossing her school bag onto the couch.

"Welcome back, you," Himeno giggled. Even with her sore throat, she sounded happy. "What's up?"

With a flick of her short, waved, nearly perfect hair, Mawata responded. "Nothing." It was the normal response. After all, when was anything interesting ever "up" at their school? Himeno certainly didn't miss much. "How've you been? Feeling better?"

Immediately, Himeno's head of pink hair bobbed up and down, indicating a nod. "A lot better, actually. Thanks." She smiled sincerely. "Sasame came by with Hayate to check on me. Hayate left, but Sasame's still here if you want to say hi. He's in the kitchen." Of course, she wasn't really given a choice. Grabbing Mawata's arm, as enthusiastic and lively as she ever was, Himeno tugged at her. "Come on!"

_Maybe Himeno just played sick_, Mawata contemplated, not even bothering to fight her grip as she dragged her. _This is ridiculous! _

They finally burst into the kitchen, startling Sasame, who was lifting what looked like a cup of tea to his lips. Little drips of the refreshing warm drink escaped and dotted the kitchen counter as the Leafe Knight jumped, and he laughed as he grabbed a napkin to wipe up the mess. "You guys scared me!" he chuckled. "Himeno, are you sure you're sick?"

Mawata folded her arms after she was finally released, rubbing at the gripped spot, which was now red. "That's what I was wondering," she agreed, seconding the question. Quickly though, she remembered her manners and greeted him. "Hi, Sasame."

His face almost seemed to glow as he smiled, being illuminated by his pure white hair. "Why, hello, Miss Mawata." He bowed courteously like the gentleman he was, which made her blush slightly. "You've joined us just in time for a game. Are you interested?"

"A game?" Himeno chimed in excitedly. "I want to play!"

Sasame turned to face her, nodding approvingly. "You can play too, Himeno," he told her. "It's a new kind of word game that I like to call _Subconscious_. I thought of it myself actually, though it's a little difficult sometimes. You have to really know how to read people." His lips had a seductive curl to them as he looked back and forth between the two teens.

"Sounds interesting," Himeno grinned. "Start without me, 'kay? I'll be right back."

And with that, she took her leave. To where, Mawata did not know, but wherever she went, she seemed to take all the comfort that Mawata had felt with her. Suddenly…she found herself alone. With Sasame. Yet _he_ didn't seem to mind at all.

"Well," he began with a shrug, "I guess we'll start with you, then?" Sasame held out an index card in front of her.

_Right…the game_, Mawata suddenly remembered. She nodded as she took the blank card in her shaking hands. "Sure," she agreed feigning calmness. "How do you play?"

Handing her a pen, Sasame took a seat on one of the stools that had been present in front of the counter, hoping that Mawata would follow suit. She did, and as she waited for his instructions, she twirled the pen nervously. It was possibly the longest fifteen, twenty seconds of her life.

"Okay." Sasame folded his arms, looking somewhat serious, even through his smile. It startled Mawata a bit—they _were_ just dealing with a game, weren't they? She pondered the thought as she listened to his next instructions…which were, admittedly, simple enough. "Write down ten words on the index card—any ten words, the first words that come to your mind—and I will tell you what they reveal about yourself."

Suspicious at first, Mawata wondered if she should've even bothered. But, as long as he already told her what to do, she figured she might as well oblige him. And she began to write.

The Knight of Sound looked on approvingly with folded arms. "See, this is where the subconscious part comes in," he grinned. "Because your subconscious choice of words may reveal something that might surprise even you."

"I'm done," she blurted out finally. With a raised eyebrow, Mawata looked at him skeptically, handing him the card once she finally finished writing down her words. She decided to refrain from making any remarks and simply shrugged. No, she was definitely not nervous. At all.

Sasame looked over the words, studying them with what seemed like every fiber of his being—and where in hell was Himeno? Mawata found herself looking towards the door quite often, as she saw Sasame stare down intently at her choices; he even ran his hands over the card, as if to "feel" the words. He put a hand to his chin without a word, and the quietness snowballed into complete and utter silence, save for a couple "hmms" to indicate that the Knight was thinking.

Suddenly, she heard a laugh, which shattered the silence in an instant. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked to him, hoping that maybe he would enlighten her as to what exactly he had found so funny in her ten words. She watched as he drew circles on the card. It looked like he was going for certain letters of every word—

And before she knew it, before she could even brace herself, Sasame had kissed her, their lips meeting for the first time. His lips were warm, moist, and once when he had abruptly pulled away, Mawata could barely breathe. Not to mention her face—red as a tomato.

She looked up at him with widened eyes, confusion, surprise resonating in them, and Sasame simply smirked, handing her the index card.

"Now Mawata," he said matter-of-factly. "If you wanted to kiss me, all you had to do was ask."

Words got caught in her throat as she gawked at him. How, how could he just _do_ something like that? And just then, she looked down at her words on the index card, scrawled in her hand writing…and couldn't help but smile as the man walked away.

The subconscious could indeed reveal interesting, surprising things about oneself…whether (s)he knows, or is willing to _admit_ it, or not.

_Power _

_Holiday_

**K**_nowledge _

**I**_nvisible _

**S**_anctuary _

**S**_ilence _

**M**_achine _

**E**_ternity _

_Demon _

_Angel _

* * *

_**A/N: **Teehee, this was fun. I love playing with words. Hope you guys enjoyed! I won't loose my claim for these two…promise n.n;; Oh yeah, and um…time for some omake fun! (grins)__

* * *

_

Sasame felt proud of himself, walking out of the Awayuki kitchen.

It was rare that he got to interact with Mawata the way he did, and he almost couldn't believe things had worked out that way. He could read people well—that was obvious, since his radio show Words Gate had become so popular, and he got many letters, requesting for advice about…well, anything. But he still could've very easily misread between those fine lines Mawata set.

She was a difficult read, he realized, and…still within a few steps of the kitchen, Sasame stopped in his tracks. He froze, remaining still for a few moments, examining the scene around him, and suddenly…he smiled.

"Himeno, you can stop spying now."

Suddenly, a head of pink emerged from behind a beautifully large plant, set right next to the kitchen door. The spot gave a wonderful view of what was going on inside, and sheepishly, Himeno smiled through her red burning cheeks, probably from embarrassment.

"Sorry."


	8. Winter Day

**Title:** Winter Day  
**Author:** Amm (SoulSeeker)  
**Pairing:** Awayuki Mawata/Sasame  
**Fandom:** Prétear  
**Theme:** #12—in a good mood  
**Rating:** PG  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Prétear. I just play 'Barbie' with them, because god knows they're a lot more fun than real Barbies.  
**Summary:** Even when she's lost him, he makes her smile.

* * *

It was a cold day that chilled you down to the bone; a colder day than most, especially considering the warm season you've been having so far. You didn't believe the weatherman when he said the temperatures would plummet—and now you wish you had.

How did you get out here?

You remember stepping outside into the wind; the calm, cold face of winter greets you with a kiss that freezes your entire face. You try to ignore frosty-like feeling that is running down your spine like ants, and as you walk, you let your short turquoise hair fall in waves across your face, in hopes of maybe warming it. Where you're going, you aren't exactly sure. But anything was better than being caged in your mansion of a house.

As you walk, pulling your coat ever tighter around your body, you hear the sound of a bell in the distance. The bell of a store; you recognize it. It sounds every time someone enters or leaves, and as you walk past, you are quickly lured in by the smell of hot chocolate, mixed with the smell of coffee and delicious marshmallows—whipped cream. Your lips curl slightly in an attempt to smile; you're happy to find such wonderful familiarity in this simple place, and you walk up to the counter right away to order your usual—hot chocolate with marshmallows.

Why did you suddenly come out without telling anybody?

You ponder the thought, thinking of all the children you left back at the home—Hajime, Mannen, Shin. Vaguely you remember promising them a cake; but was it a dream?

Everything seems like a dream now; troubles are over.

When will you be able to smile again?

The clerk has to call your attention multiple times before you finally snap back from your fantasy and finally take the warm drink you ordered. You decide not to take up any more of the clerk's time, and quickly leave to find a seat, instead of ordering a snack like you originally planned. Suddenly, you hear it—it's above the crowd. You can pick it out anywhere:

"Mawata?"

Your knight in shining armor; with silver hair that seemingly glowed in the midst of the indoor environment. You freeze up, even with the steaming hot chocolate in your hands_. Sasame is talking to you_, you try to tell yourself. _Answer!_

But you see her with him: Takako. His love. They look so happy and perfect together, arm in arm—you try to convince yourself that you are happy for them, as you try to muster up the words to reply. As much as you are attempted to just run away, your manners take hold of you and nail your feet to the ground.

"Hi," is all that comes out of your mouth.

"I didn't know you were here," Sasame replies delightfully. "I thought you were back at the house with Hayate, Himeno and the others. Why don't you sit with us?"

A choice! A decision! Oh, how you hate decisions; but now one must be made. And a great deal of you wants to stay; be in his presence, even if it is still painful to see them together. But an even greater part of you wants nothing more than to leave. Right now—and never come back.

"Sorry," you finally reply, before you can really make up your mind, "I promised Shin, Mannen and Hajime that I'd bake them a cake. And I still haven't started."

Sasame looks disappointed at your reply—but you don't let it fool you. You know he wants to spend time with the one he truly loves; and you respect that. In fact, it feels like you're doing him a favor!

Takako smiles at you; a genuine smile that makes the room just that much brighter. "Well, that sounds great," she says encouragingly. "Sasame and I will definitely be back to try some! Won't we?" She looks at him expectantly, a shine in her eyes you've never quite seen before.

"Of course," he replies without question. "We'll see you there, okay?"

You nod and again attempt a smile before you step back out into the cold, this time to return to your house. The kids will be disappointed if they don't get their cake—what flavor did you promise them again?—and nowhere in your heart did you feel any desire to disappoint anyone. But suddenly—the moment you feel the wind against your face—you feel something pulling you, like a thread tugging at your very soul. Towards your house—towards where you belong. Everything is suddenly so clear; you know where to go. You know everything. And suddenly, your life has so much meaning.

You _want_ to go back to your house; you _want _to face Himeno, Hayate, and you _want _to bake that cake.

An inexplicable good mood comes over you, and for the first time in what seems like months…

you smile.

Without questioning why, you give a new meaning to the phrase "dancing in the street" as you skip home; the birds sang louder, the sun shone brighter, and the cold gave way to heat. Everything was suddenly more colorful, and as you stepped into the gates of your mansion—seeing the pink hair of both your sisters, and the three child-Knights surrounding them—you finally feel happy.

Even when you've lost him for good, he makes you smile.

But instead of contemplating whether this is a good or bad thing, you head straight for the kitchen, greeting everyone along the way. They follow you, surround you—even get in your way as you try to finish your cake delight. You remember why you often got so frustrated with them—

And you wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

_**A/N:** So, this was just a random idea I got that I decided to try out a new point of view with. I'd been inspired by another fanfic I read earlier in the year, who also wrote in the second person, and I figure now was a good a time as any to try it. As always, thanks for reading--and hopefully I have enough fuel for these guys to keep going till #30!_


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